Let Me Teach You to Write Memoir

I TEACH WHAT I CALL “writing with intent.” There are no writing prompts or silly exercises, and no assignments in any of my classes. Why? Because I can say with great assurance that while I’ve had hundreds of people in my memoir classes who are in recovery from all manners of addiction, the single greatest number of them are in recovery from writing exercises that fritter away what little time most of us have to write. Put ’em away. And while you are at it, put down that glue gun and stop scrapbooking. Let’s write memoir, shall we?

Testimonials from my students

Marion’s approach is like a mathematician teaching theory. Scary and interesting. She has illustrated a formula I now understand: pull the precise out of the indistinct, and watch the stories add up. She pulls out the stops. She talks to you in language that drives you toward a story, keeps you focused on what it’s (the story) about, and shows you, through her own writing, how to make it all add up, to pull the precise out of the indistinct. Want to drive your story forward? Tell the truth. Want to finally sit down and write? Sit down. And write.

I wrote till dawn – gems, pearls, beautiful turns of phrases which, during the editing process, I recognized as irrelevant. Being able to ‘kill my darlings’ was a turning point that brought me to a more advanced level of writing.

Marion teaches the essential elements of memoir: how to clearly tell one story at a time to answer the most important question, “What is this story about?’ Once you know this, you can write anything with the material from your own experience.

Marion’s exhortations to write five pages a day – no more, no less – transformed me from a writer-wannabe into an MFA writing and literature graduate.

— Kathryn Allen, writer

You are a great mentor for memoir. I appreciate your good ideas and suggestions.

–Harriet Englander, writer and student of the Master Class

Having a story to tell is the smallest element in memoir. Writing that personal account, now that’s the difficult part – until you discover Marion Roach Smith. Her skill as a teacher who is also an accomplished writer is extraordinary. I found my creative voice in Marion’s class.

It is a miraculous journey that Marion leads us on, from tentative wordsmiths to committed writers in a few short weeks. She establishes a classroom atmosphere that provides safety and competent reassurance. Suddenly the memories in my head appeared in a written, readable form that I could share with an audience of my choosing.

–Dan New, three-time class veteran

Marion is a writer’s editor and teacher. She sees to the heart of a piece, she encourages true and honest expression, and she helps writers craft what they want to say. She doesn’t critique writing; she grows writers. I trust her with all my writing and I’d recommend her to anyone, whatever their writing experience.

—Dennis Gaffney, professional writer

Marion’s classes have helped me to find my voice and to believe in my voice. I keep her book at my side when I am writing. If I get stuck, reading a few pages gives me the push I need.

About Me

BY WRITING AND TEACHING MEMOIR, I've learned that everyone has a story to tell. My most recent book is "The Memoir Project: A Thoroughly Non-Standardized Text on Writing & Life." (Grand Central). [Read More]

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September, 14 2017

Ode to the Lighthouse

On this day in 1716 America’s first lighthouse was lit. Located in Boston Harbor, on Little Brewster Island, it was not our first land-based navigation signal, since history records that there was a beacon on Point Allerton in Hull as early as 1673 in the form of an open iron basket or grate in which “fier-bales of pitch and ocre” were burned. Have you got a lighthouse story? I bet you do. Having trouble getting started? Try my Memoir How-To category on the blog. And write on.

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September, 15 2017

The Birds Are on The Wing

The birds are on the move. They’ve actually been at it for a while, though it’s just becoming noticeable in most regions of the country – as well as online. Haven’t checked out an online bird site yet? Type in the name of your town, and the words “bird migration” and be amazed to see the calendar for who is visiting on their way south. Do some research and write a piece. Look online at http://www.birdnature.com/fallfl.html

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September, 19 2017

First Frost? Got a story?

What does frost really do? Many things, including reviving the story of Jack Frost. We’ve almost lost touch with the folklore of the man who is kind of a cross between Father Christmas and Old Man Winter. He appears in Viking folklore and early English tales as well as Russian stories, all in an attempt to explain who paints those marvelous patterns on our windows when the frost arrives.

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September, 21 2017

The Birth of American Newspapers

On this day 1784, the nation’s first daily newspaper, the Pennsylvania Packet and Daily Advertiser, began publication. By the beginning of the Revolutionary War, 37 independent newspapers kept our colonists informed. Do you love newspapers? Write a love letter and send it along to your local paper as an op-ed.